Posted by Nicholas at December 18, 2006 12:36 AMEvery form of collectivism creates its own distinct false danger out of thin air that it can then pretend to save us from. Socialism will save us from evil capitalists. Fascism will save us from evil communists — and those whose evil skin color or accent is somehow undesirable.
Environmentalism will save us from evil industrialists — or from our evil selves, if absolutely needful, whether we want to be saved or not.
It will also keep the sky from falling.
None of this is new, of course. It all goes back to the same scam ancient religions used: the gods are angry! Only a coterie of well-fed (well-dressed, well-housed, and especially, well-laid) priests can save you! It's a simple evolutionary fact, taken advantage of, even by those who profess not to believe in evolution: to any set of genes that wishes to beget more genes like it, fear trumps joy every single time.
Leave joy — and all the good drugs — to the priests.
L. Neil Smith, "Back to Basics: Part Four", Libertarian Enterprise, 2006-12-17
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